A Wonderfully Miserable Evening
by BurningFox6
Summary: Miseryville's one-and-only romantic holiday has rolled into town, and yet Jimmy remains as oblivious to Heloise's affections as ever. Now, the little inventor is determined to take the boy out for a night on the town–whether he comes willingly or not.
1. Up to Something

**A/N: Yeesh, I've been out of practice for quite some time. But I wanted to do something for Valentine's Day, and the idea for this story popped out at me. I'm probably a bit rusty, but here's hoping I can still write something that'll entertain.**

**Thanks for reading, and I hope ya like it. If things go according to plan, there should be one chapter a day up 'til Valentine's Day itself. If they don't, it'll probably stretch a bit beyond that.**

**(Story image courtesy of Doodlz18. In fact, her image is what inspired this story in the first place! The whole picture can be found over at her deviantart.)**

* * *

"Alriiiight, it's finally about to start! Thanks again for telling us about it, Heloise."

Heloise waved him off, smiling as she took her place beside her friend on his couch. "No problem, Jimmy," she replied. "I know you wanted to see it-"

She paused midsentence as something wet smacked into her face. She cautiously wiped it off her cheek, growling. "And he did, too."

Heloise scowled at the monster sitting on her other side with his head stuck in an extra large bowl of popcorn. Beezy ignored her glare, sending globs of food flying as he chowed down.

Heloise sighed, rubbing at her temples. When she'd told Jimmy they were showing Star Swines on daytime cable, the hit movie that had just received a sequel, she'd been hoping she'd get to watch it with him alone. And yet, somehow it didn't surprise her at all when she'd shown up at Jimmy's house only to find Beezy already there.

She couldn't complain too much, though; time with Jimmy was time with Jimmy, and at the very least Beezy couldn't be too annoying while he was stuffing his face. Still, Heloise noted that if she had to dodge any more ballistic food, somebody was getting maimed.

The TV in front of them flickered, replacing whatever had been showing before with a flashy title card. "And now for our feature presentation," an announcer droned on. "...After a word from our number one sponsor, Misery Inc.!"

An advertisement for spike-bristled toothbrushes played, complete with flaming hot sauce toothpaste. Heloise smiled to herself; it was one of her simplest inventions, yet one of the top producers of misery. Jimmy, however, seemed unimpressed. "Sheesh, I already have seven of those," he muttered. "Hey, Beez, pass the popcorn!"

Beezy finally removed his head from the popcorn bucket, gulping down some kernels as he handed the bucket past Heloise. Jimmy inspected it expectantly, only to flip it over with a frown as not a single scrap fell out. "Sorry, dude," Beezy said with a shrug. "Told you we should've made an extra large bag."

"That _was_ an extra large bag," Heloise pointed out.

"And the last one, too," Jimmy moaned, setting the bucket aside.

"Don't worry," Beezy assured them as he eased himself off the couch. "I've got this. Mind if I raid the fridge, Jimmy?"

"No problem," Jimmy said, watching his friend scoot past him into his kitchen. Meanwhile, the dental commercial had ended, swapping to a new one. Heloise and Jimmy watched as Samy showed up onscreen, dressed up for his role as Misery Inc's official spokesgoblin.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "as you all know, that time of year is coming around yet again. Yep, that's right, folks! Misery Hearts Day, the day for all you lovebirds out there… and with a bestselling novel based off it, written by yours truly," the goblin added, brushing his fingers on his jacket.

Suddenly remembering he was still on camera, Samy coughed nervously. "Anyway, folks, no Misery Hearts Day is complete without getting some assorted shock-olates for your sweetheart. Shockolates, the sweet snack with a zesty zap in every bite! There's only a week 'til Misery Hearts Day rolls around, so grab some while you can!"

The commercial went on as Samy sampled the product, receiving a powerful shock as he bit into the treat. Heloise cackled at the sight, but Jimmy just looked on in confusion. "Misery Hearts Day?" he wondered aloud. "What's that?"

Heloise eased out of her laughter, realizing that her friend hadn't been in town long enough to know about the upcoming holiday. Though, to be frank, Heloise hadn't bothered trying to remember it existed in the first place. "It's just some holiday Lucius came up with a long time ago as an excuse to spend more time with whatever girl he was dating at the time. But folks were quick to realize that Lucius was too busy attending to his woman to actively spread any misery, so everyone just uses the day to spend time with their own loved ones now."

Jimmy shrugged. "Eh, doesn't sound like my kinda holiday. Now, Lucius Fools Day, _there's _a holiday."

Heloise chuckled, leaning back into her seat. "Definitely," she agreed. A good moment passed before the gears finally in Heloise's head finally clicked into high gear as it hit her. This was her chance. Jimmy might be oblivious to how much she liked him, but there's no way he could miss the message if she asked him out now.

"…But that doesn't mean we can't get together and do something, right?" she asked, leaning forward. "You, me, ya know. We can catch a movie or something. Sounds fun, eh?"

Heloise held her breath as Jimmy tapped at his chin. "It sure does," he agreed. Heloise could already feel herself smiling, unable to believe that'd worked. "But I'll have to see if Beezy is up for it. What could be more fun than three friends catching a hit blockbuster together?"

Heloise sunk into her seat, sighing. Once again, she'd underestimated just how blind Jimmy could be. "Yeah, sure. Friends," she mumbled. As disappointed as she was, deep down she wasn't really surprised.

She peeked at the blonde boy out of the corner of her eye, watching him go wide-eyed as the TV advertised some hot new product. She'd liked him for months now, and yet he rebuffed her at every turn by being completely incapable of taking a hint.

Still, Jimmy wasn't entirely to blame. On the few occasions she actually managed to get close to him, Beezy usually wasn't too far away, always ready to steal Jimmy's attention. Heloise just didn't understand. Was she just not pretty enough to catch the boy's eye? …Did her breath reek?

Heloise breathed into her hand discretely, sniffing. Nope, it wasn't that. And yet, there had to be _something _wrong. She'd tried everything: trying a new look, using strong hints, getting some alone time, using evil scientific inventions. Heck, the closest she'd come was when she'd used Peep, local dumpster-diver extraordinaire, to make Jimmy jealous. Even then, it hadn't gone completely as planned- and you couldn't pay her enough to get her to pretend to like Peep again. What did a girl have to do to get a freakin' date? Use force?

Heloise could practically feel the light bulb click in her head. She was far from the gentlest person, and yet she found herself surprisingly tame around Jimmy. There was only one method she hadn't tried yet: Force.

It was worth a shot. There was still the matter of Beezy to deal with though, as well as some finer details to go over. But if it got her just one nice date with her crush, it'd be worth it. Not wanting to waste a moment of planning, Heloise hopped down off the couch, heading towards the front door.

"Hey, where are ya goin', Heloise?" Jimmy asked, eyeing her quizzically.

Heloise froze, racking her mind for a good excuse. "Uh… I forgot I have some urgent work to deal with," she lied. "Lucius wants the adjustments added to his new tank model and I'm going to need all the time I can get. I'll just tape the movie and watch it later," she said, backing up to the door.

Jimmy watched the girl go, shutting the door behind herself. "Aw," he mumbled. He'd really been hoping to see this movie with his two best pals. But hey, Heloise said she had things to do, and she'd also pitched that awesome suggestion about seeing that sequel later. Plus, at least Beezy was still here.

At least, Jimmy thought he was. The monster been in the kitchen for quite awhile now. Hoping his friend hadn't somehow locked himself in the fridge again, Jimmy got up, striding to the kitchen. "Hey, Beez—_sweet corn!_"

Beezy was there, alright… stuck to the ceiling and covered in dough. "How'd you get up there?" Jimmy asked, pointing up at his friend.

"Don't worry about it, Jim," Beezy assured him. The monster grunted as he struggled to wiggle free. "It wouldn't hurt if you got me down, though."

"But how did you…"

"_A master chef never reveals his secrets!_"

* * *

After getting a ladder, a giant spatula, and a blowtorch, Beezy was finally free from his sticky situation. Snacks were made, the movie was watched, and good times were had. Jimmy went to bed that night wondering how good the sequel was, as well as if Heloise had managed to get up to date on her work.

The next day, he found out she hadn't. And the next. And the next. He'd give her a call every once in awhile to see if she wanted to hang out with him and Beezy, but she always had an excuse. 'Adding in the thrusters' one day, 'adjusting ammo specifications' the next, and so on.

Five days had passed since their get-together before Jimmy brought it up. He and Beezy had just finished a rousing game of Hacky Smack and were sitting on Jimmy's stoop, discussing what to do next. "Hey, Beez," Jimmy said, "you got any idea what your dad's got Heloise working on? Must be important, since she never works this much."

Beezy shrugged. "How should I know? I've seen her doing some pretty weird things around town, and that's pretty much it."

"You've seen her?" Jimmy repeated. "Weird things?"

"Yeah, dude. Spotted her a couple times while I was out, actually. One time, she was having, like, three truckloads of flour delivered to her house. And when I went downtime," Beezy went on, "I saw her over at La Treestease Door."

"You mean La Tristesse D'or? Isn't that the fanciest restaurant in town?"

"Yeah. I saw her through the glass door, threatening the seater guy with a mace." Beezy shrugged again. "No idea what for, though."

"It definitely sounds like her," Jimmy mumbled. "But why haven't I seen any of this?" he asked, scratching his head. "She's usually not that hard to find. Do you think she's trying to avoid me?"

Beezy raised a hand to respond, only to point behind Jimmy instead. "Looks like we're about to find out."

"Huh?" Jimmy whipped his head around, turning to see Heloise coming down the sidewalk. The girl was fiddling with a strip of measuring tape, coiling it around her arm. "Hey, Heloise!" Jimmy called to her, waving.

Heloise looked up, startled. She looked around in confusion before finally noticing her friends over on the stoop. "Hey, Jimmy!" she called back, jogging across his lawn. "Just the guy I wanted to see."

"Why's thamfmfm?" Jimmy found himself muffled as Heloise wrapped the tape around his mouth. She checked it quickly before writing a few numbers down a notepad and moving on to measuring his wrists.

"Uh… what's this for?" Jimmy asked, watching his friend scribble down some more notes. He shot Beezy a glance, only to get yet another shrug in return.

"Project."

The inventor moved onto his ankles. "You mean the tank?" Jimmy offered.

"…Riiiiight. Lucius wants–hold this to your head and stand, please." Jimmy obeyed, standing at attention as Heloise took his height measure. "Lucy wants a big cockpit," Heloise continued, "and I figured since you're three times his height…"

"Why not measure Beezy then?" Jimmy questioned, gesturing towards the monster beside him.

Heloise scoffed, wrapping the tape around Jimmy's waist. "He wants room for his legs, not room for a whale." She shot a glance at the monster in question, rolling her eyes as the wisecrack sailed right over his head.

After a few more notes, Heloise draped the rape around her neck. "That's everything I need," she stated, waving goodbye as she set off towards her house. "Misery Inc. thanks you for your dedication to ensuring top-tier misery spreads, yadda yadda, catch you guys later."

The two boys watched her go. Soon enough, she was out of sight behind her hedges. "Yep," Beezy said, breaking the silence. "Definitely up to something." He nudged Jimmy, smirking mischievously. "What say we go find out what it is, ol' buddy?"

"It's like you read my mind, Beez!" Jimmy said, tapping his noggin. He froze midpoke, remembering something. "Uh… actually, maybe we should just leave her be. Last time we followed her, the whole town ended up getting torn to pieces. Literally."

"You raise a good point," Beezy admitted, rubbing his chin. "And in rebuttal: we found out she plays with dolls!"

The duo burst out laughing, giggling madly at their friend's old secret. Soon enough, Jimmy sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Yeah… still, we should probably let this one go."

"If you say so, dude." Before he could react, Beezy gently jabbed his finger into Jimmy's stomach. "But she's plotting something, mark my words. Well… more than she usually does."

"Or she could just be working extra hard," Jimmy said, pushing his friend's arm away. "Still…" Jimmy looked over at Heloise's house, wondering if Heloise was truly working on what she'd said within its walls. "I _am_ kinda wondering what's going on."

* * *

Another couple days passed. Misery's Heart Day had arrived, and Jimmy hadn't seen a trace of his friends all afternoon. Heloise had said she was still busy over the phone, and Beezy simply wasn't home at all. Now, night was falling, and Jimmy was left alone and bored in his house, absent-mindedly flipping through channels. Cerbee laid by his side, dozing away on the couch.

Jimmy yawned, clicking away from another ad for frog flakes. "Well, Cerb, I guess we can all go see that movie some other day," he muttered, scratching his faithful pooch behind the horns.

_Knock, knock._

Jimmy instantly brightened up at the sound of the doorbell, knowing that something to break the monotony was waiting just outside his house. "Company!" he squealed, leaping off the couch and racing to his front door.

He yanked it open, looking outside expectantly. His face fell as an empty yard greeted him. He stepped out onto his stoop, scratching his head. "Now who was that?" he wondered aloud.

_Snap!_

The ground fell away as Jimmy was yanked off his feet. Sinewy netting surrounded him as he was dragged skyward, letting out a startled yelp. He dangled above his porch, directly above the shiny red X someone had painted on it.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Jimmy shouted, struggling to get a good look through the net.

In response, the net fell. Fast. Jimmy crashed down onto the porch, now dazed as well as trapped. "What's going on?" he groaned, wishing he could rub his aching head.

"Don't worry, you won't be in there for too long."

Jimmy froze. That voice sounded familiar. "Heloise?"

He squirmed around, trying to look towards the voice. Soon enough, he spotted her–though she looked a bit different than usual. She had the same red dress she always wore, but she'd rimmed each sleeve with a rim of roses. More roses decorated her hair, which looked like it'd been crimped.

Heloise, still barely taller than Jimmy despite his current condition, gave a little wave. "Hey, Jimmy," she greeted, waggling her fingers. She gave a little twirl, letting her ponytail whip around as she spun. "What do you think?"

Jimmy blinked. "What, was the florist having a sale?"

Heloise huffed, crossing her arms. "N… yes." She rolled her eyes, her mouth twitching in irritation. "Whatever. Come on," she ordered, grabbing the net, "we're going to be late."

"Huh?" Jimmy grunted as the girl dragged him off his porch and down his sidewalk; he had to admit, Heloise was strong. "Where are we going? And what happened to your project?"

"Uh… finished it. And to celebrate, I figured we could do something. Grab a nice dinner, catch that movie sequel, ya know?"

"Star Swines?" Jimmy smiled, kicking back in his prison and watching Heloise pull him down the road. "Sounds good to me! But isn't Beezy supposed to come along?"

Heloise chuckled, just loud enough to be heard. "Nah. He's a bit… indisposed."

* * *

"_Noooooo!_ That heartless, evil creature!"

Beezy shook the bottle some more, praying for a single drop. "She lets me borrow her deluxe pizza maker for the day, but doesn't bother to get more mayo!"

He tossed the empty bottle over his shoulder, listening to it land with a thump over in the mountain of flour sacks Heloise had left for him next to the machine. Turning his attention back to the pie laid out on the counter, he wondered how he'd make do without the perfect condiment.

* * *

Heloise grimaced. Helping out anyone, let alone Beezy, made her sick to her stomach. Still…

She glanced over her shoulder, eyeing her catch. Jimmy still laid in the net she'd nabbed him with, humming some unfamiliar tune as she dragged him through the streets. If it kept Beezy out of their hair for just one night, it was worth it. And hopefully worth the month's salary she'd spent on pizza ingredients, too.

"So…" Heloise was drawn out of her thoughts as Jimmy spoke up. "Any chance you can let me out of this thing? I'm pretty sure I've got more than a few pebbles in my underwear."

Heloise stopped, releasing her grip on the net and stretching her aching arms. Pulling Jimmy around was more of a strain than she'd expected, and they'd gotten quite a few odd looks from wandering pedestrians. Their destination was only a couple blocks away, anyway.

"Sure thing, Jimmy," she cooed. "Let's get you out of there so you stretch your legs, shall we?"

She reached for the net's opening, smiling to herself as she untied its knot. She could afford to let him loose for a minute… but not for too long. She was determined to get her great date, and she was going to make sure the boy stuck around.


	2. Dine and Dash

"Y'know, Heloise, this isn't really what I had in mind."

Heloise ignored the remark, leading her captive by a thin strap of loose netting. She'd freed him from his trap just moments ago, only to take him by surprise and wrap him up in the net, coiling the fibers around him. Repurposing the trap into a snare had been easy, and Jimmy had no choice but to waddle after her with his arms stuck at his sides as she led him to their destination.

The restaurant loomed up ahead, its ritzy sheen standing out amongst the stores around it. Shiny black marble walls framed a glass door, accenting the red letters set above the building's awning: La Tristesse D'or.

Heloise led Jimmy down the red carpet that stretched to the entrance, opening the door and ushering him inside. Things looked just as elegant inside the building, dimly lit up by a single chandelier dangling over white-clothed tables. The subtle hum of dinner conversation floated around the room as Heloise walked up to the seater, a tall, purple monster.

"Welcome to La Tristesse D'or," the seater droned. "How may we be of serv-" The monster froze midsentence as his one eye finally locked on Heloise, growing wide.

Heloise snickered as the monster took a step back, fidgeting with his tuxedo nervously. "I take it our reservations are still good?" the girl asked, gesturing back towards her date.

"B-but of course," the monster stammered, drumming his fingers together. He snatched a couple menus from a nearby bin, heading off towards the dining area. "Table for one missus and one captive, right this way."

The seater led them through the field of tables, weaving around chatting guests who tended to stop and eye the new diners curiously as Jimmy waddled by. Soon enough, they reached the only empty table left in the house. Heloise stopped to help Jimmy wiggle his way into his chair before taking the seat across from him.

Quick on his feet, the seater distributed the menus and produced a notepad, pen held high and poised to write. "Your orders?"

Heloise opened her menu, only to be greeted by gibberish. The text sprawled out in front of her, written in a foreign language. She gulped. She might've been a technological genius, but foreign linguistics weren't her strong suit.

She scanned through the options, knowing she'd just have to guess. "Uh… the pâtes ver da lave?" she said, uncertainty edging into her voice. The seater simply nodded, scribbling the order in his notebook. "How about you, Jimmy?" Heloise asked.

The boy had his head on the table, struggling in vain to nose open his menu. Taking pity on him, the seater reached over and propped it open. Jimmy glanced at it, squinting. "What is all this junk? I'll just take a burger and a shake."

The speaker stared disbelievingly, his one half-lidded eye locked on Jimmy's goofy grin. Heloise cleared her throat roughly. "Well, you heard him," she barked.

Nodding nervously, the seater wrote down the order and departed with promises that the food would be out shortly. Heloise ignored him, resting her head in her hands as she eyed the boy across the table. Finally, she was out on a date with him–even if he hadn't come willingly.

Jimmy caught her staring, prompting her to quickly pretend she was admiring the scenery. "So," Jimmy began, "you never really explained why you tied me up. Twice."

Heloise drummed her fingers along the tablecloth, wracking her mind. When no conceivable excuse came to mind, she decided to go with Plan B: Change the subject. "So what did I miss while I was so busy?"

Jimmy's face lit up, his question already forgotten. Sometimes, Heloise was glad he wasn't the brightest bulb around. "You have no idea!" he said. "L'see… a few days ago, we went down to the beach, and Beezy somehow managed to bury his head before his body…"

Heloise smirked as she listened attentively, wishing that Beezy had gone the full mile with burying himself. Nonetheless, she was dining with her favorite person, and she still had more planned after that. So far, so good.

* * *

The two of them chit-chatted for awhile, sharing stories and laughs as they waited for their meal. They were still waiting when something caught Jimmy's attention, stopping him midstory. "Hey, what's going on over there?" he asked, looking over Heloise's shoulder.

Looking behind her, Heloise spotted their seater bickering with a dining couple a few tables over. They argued back and forth until, with a grunt, the seater snapped his fingers. Instantly, a large, bulky green monster burst from the kitchen, dressed in chef garb.

The cook marched up to the couple and picked them each up in a massive hand. Ignoring their protests, he carried them off towards the exit. Customers watched the spectacle out of the corners of their eyes as the chef escorted the monsters off the premises, only to return with two more following behind him.

Instantly, all conversation in the restaurant died down as the two new guests walked in. "Hey, is that Lucy?" Jimmy asked, straining to get a better look.

"Looks like it," Heloise muttered, watching the little red ruler walk in with his favorite piece of eye candy by his side. Lucius Heinous VII and Jez, the hotheaded honcho and the buxom blue monster themselves, followed the chef with heads held high. They claimed the table that'd just been opened up, and Jez instantly found reason to complain.

"_This _is a five star dining experience?" she griped. "There's not even any entertainment!"

Lucius shot the seater a glare, sending the man into a sweating fit even more powerful than when Heloise had arrived. The seater nudged the chef, who promptly darted off back to the kitchen. Moments later, he returned, ukulele in hand.

A jaunty little tune filled the restaurant as he played; Jez seemed horribly unimpressed, but she'd quieted down for now. Lucius barked an order to the seater, who quickly scampered off to see to it. Soon, the restaurant returned to a normal, if nervous, atmosphere.

Heloise felt something gently kick her under the table. Her face heated up at the thought of Jimmy attempting to flirt with her, only to fizzle when she saw he just wanted her attention. "Hey, Heloise! Get Lucy for me, I wanna say hi!"

The girl shook her head. "Probably not a good idea for you to bug–ah–see him right now, Jimmy." She spotted a waitress homing in on them off to the side, platters balanced on her hands. "Our food's here now, anyway."

The waitress dropped off their plates, uncovering them for them. Heloise braced herself for unknown cuisine, only to be treated to the sight of some lovely creamy pasta with a generous amount of fried lavaworms mixed in. She certainly could've chosen worse.

Meanwhile, Jimmy seemed more than pleased with his exquisite example of fine dining. "It looks awesmazing!" he said, licking his lips. He struggled against his bonds, trying to wiggle an arm free to pick up his burger. "Uh… Heloise?"

Heloise tutted, already picking up her utensils and scooting her chair around the table. "Don't worry, Jimmy, I'll help you with that." Alright, so maybe she'd had some ulterior motives for her trap choice.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Jimmy said. "I've got this." With that, he bent low, scooping up the food into his mouth.

Instantly, his eyes opened wide as his cheeks filled with color. He spat the patty out, waving his tongue back and forth. "_Hot!_ Hot, hot, hot, _hot!_"

Heloise leaned back, dodging the ballistic burger. She quickly helped Jimmy chug down a glass of water, hoping they weren't making too much of a scene. Soon, Jimmy was cooled down, and Heloise got up to clean up his mess.

"No, no, I can handle it," Jimmy assured her, ignoring her protests as he wiggled out of his seat. He wobbled over to his food, struggling to kick the scraps of his meal into a pile. Unfortunately, the best he could do was accidentally knock the scraps under the nearest table.

"I've got it!" he said, launching himself under the table. Heloise could only watch in horror as he scrambled about hidden under the tablecloth. The table's contents shook, wobbled, and eventually fell on one of the table's occupants. Heloise gulped, listening to the all-to-familiar screech: "_Two-shoes!_"

Jimmy popped his head out from under the table, looking for whoever had called him. His face lit up as he locked eyes with a very messy, _very _furious Lucius, his suit covered in some unknown appetizer. "Hey, Lucy!" Jimmy greeted, ignoring the daggers being glared his way. "You know, you're supposed to eat food, not wear it. Here, lemme help ya with that."

Before Lucius could say no, Jimmy leapt to his feet, quickly snagging a napkin from the table in his teeth. He yanked it off the table- only for the tablecloth to come with it as he realized he'd bit into it as well. Jez shrieked, food flew, and platters soared, one of which thanked Lucius square on the noggin.

All eyes were on Jimmy as he stood there, tied up and tablecloth in mouth in front of Miseryville's knocked out leader. Knowing when to cut her losses, Heloise dashed forward and grabbed for him, not stopping for a second as she led him out of the restaurant.

* * *

A few streets down, Heloise finally allowed herself to catch her breath. Jimmy had managed to stay upright as they fled, and now he slumped against an alley wall, panting alongside his friend. "Do…" he wheezed, "do you think Lucy's upset?"

Heloise shot him a look. "You'll be lucky to get the abyss of nothingness," she replied. She cursed herself for letting unknown variables get in the way of her efforts- namely, her poor trap choice and the fact that Jimmy was a complete moron. If she had any hope of getting the date back on track, she had to make a few changes and adapt to the situation.

When her lungs finally stopped burning, she straightened up, sighing. "Well, what's done is done. I'll have a chat with Lucius tomorrow and see if I can get him to calm down. We need to get going if we want to catch the movie. But first, let me get you out of that."

Jimmy smiled brightly. "Really?"

"Yep." Heloise walked up to him, working on untying the strong knots that bound him. Jimmy didn't catch her smirk, though–she'd never said she wouldn't replace the trap with a new one, now did she?


	3. Electrifying Entertainment

Jimmy had no sooner been freed from his bonds when he'd felt cold metal clamp tightly around his ankle. "Just thought you'd like to look nice for the movie; it looks nice, don't you think?" Heloise said as she fiddled a bit with the anklet now locked around his leg. She punched a few numbers into a scanner she had with her before stowing it in her sleeve. If Jimmy was suspicious of her weird behavior, he seemed too glad to have control of his limbs back to care.

Of course, he'd probably be a lot more worried if he knew the trinket's true purpose. Jimmy was fine so long as he stayed close, and his newfound mobility would prevent any more incidents. If he got too far away from Heloise, though–zap! A painful shock would knock him out and Heloise's scanner would alert her, leaving her free to retrieve Jimmy at her leisure.

Hopefully, it wouldn't have to come to that. Heloise gave the scanner a quick once-over as the duo approached Miseryville's movie theater; the device was functional, prepped, and ready to go, prepared to halt any would-be escape attempts. With her date secured, Heloise was free to drop her guard and let Jimmy admire the upcoming attraction posters while she went to get tickets.

Thus began the usual ritual; the teller looked down at her from his booth, wondering what such a little girl was doing ordering tickets. One crack of the knuckles was all it took for the teller to recoil backwards, clearly remembering what'd happened last time he'd mistook her for a little girl. "Two for Star Swines," Heloise said, sneering.

After a bit of nervous fumbling on the teller's part, Heloise handed over her money and got her tickets. "C'mon, Jimmy," she called out, drawing Jimmy's attention away from the posters. The boy joined her and they headed inside, immediately being overcome by the smell of fresh popcorn and the electronic pinging of the nearby arcade.

Things were much busier inside than outside, and the two had to wait to get any snacks. Heloise could've done without, but Jimmy insisted on an extra large popcorn and soda to make up for missing dinner. Despite the wait, they managed to walk into the theater just as previews started.

The theater was relatively empty, aside from the occasional teen couple here and there that would no doubt miss every second of the movie. Jimmy and Heloise managed to grab a spot right in the middle of the rows, sitting down and settling in.

As soon as Jimmy was distracted with the previews, Heloise retrieved her scanner from her sleeve and checked it once more. Her plan had already gone astray once tonight, and she refused to let it happen again.

Satisfied that the gadget was operating fine, she stowed it away again. To her side, Jimmy was guzzling his drink, practically inhaling the straw. "You're going to swallow the cup if you keep that up," Heloise scolded.

Jimmy finally let the soda go with a content sigh. "Gotta drink double for Beezy," he said. "It's what he wanted. We definitely need to come back with him sometime. I wonder if he's doing alright."

"I'm sure he's fine," Heloise muttered with a roll of the eyes. Her pizza machine, however, was probably a different story. It was an acceptable loss, though, Heloise noted as her eyes lit up with a coy gleam. She leaned over the armrest, wrapping her arm around Jimmy's and tugging him closer. "C'mon, sit a little closer. It's too cold in here."

The next thing she knew, Jimmy had wiggled his arm free and shoved the popcorn bucket under her nose. "Here, have some! It'll warm ya right up."

"Gee, thanks." As much as she wanted to decline, Heloise could feel hunger starting to gnaw away at her stomach. She never did get the chance to sample her pasta. Grudgingly, she dipped her hand into the bucket and scooped out a few morsels.

Minutes passed, with the two of them only ignoring their snack long enough to comment on whatever preview was playing. Soon, the lights dimmed as the screen lit up–it was time for the feature presentation.

Heloise found herself enraptured in the show; the first movie had been good, but this one was a masterpiece. A quarter of an hour had flown by before Heloise remembered why she'd brought Jimmy here in the first place. It wasn't much of a date if they just sat there and watched the film, now was it?

She looked away, giving herself a quick once-over. She considered sneaking some make-up, but figured she'd already done enough to doll herself up earlier. As ready as she'd ever be, Heloise turned to Jimmy with lidded eyes–and watched as the boy crossed his legs in a vicelike grip in his seat, squirming about in some odd little dance.

Jimmy caught her staring, smiling sheepishly. "You were right, I shoulda laid off the soda. I'm gonna head to the little Jimmy's room real quick," he whispered. "Be back in a sec, alright?"

Heloise huffed, feeling for the scanner. Locating it securely in her sleeve, she nodded. Its range would extend just outside the theater in case he tried anything. "Hurry up before you miss anything good," she muttered.

Nodding, Jimmy got up and scooted away, muttering apologies to a face-locked couple a few seats down. Heloise watched him go, letting out the smallest of sighs as he ducked out of the theater. Maybe if she was lucky, the couple had given him an idea.

She scoffed, turning back to the film. The odds of that happening were about as good as Lucius giving anybody a day off and Samy becoming a celebrity combined. Still, she couldn't give up hope–she'd find some way to get through his thick head and get her perfect date somehow.

Resting her head in her hand, Heloise leaned on the armrest and allowed herself to get sucked back into the film while she waited for Jimmy to return. At least the movie was good.

* * *

Heloise burst out laughing as the credits rolled. "Man, that ending was a riot!" she wheezed, trying to regain her composure. She wiped a tear from her eye, looking over to her date. "Right, Jimmy?"

She froze, eyes wide. People were getting up and filing out, but Jimmy was nowhere to be seen. She scanned the theater, spotting nothing but bright-faced monsters and a few discarded snacks. Jimmy had never come back.

Heloise cursed herself, slipping her scanner out of her sleeve. How could she been so careless and focused more on the movie than the reason she'd come in the first place? To make matters worse, the scanner reported no disturbances, its alarm having never been set off. Either Jimmy had found a way to get the anklet off, or he'd found a way to slip outside the scanner's range unnoticed.

There wasn't time to figure out how he'd done it. Discarding the useless scanner, Heloise leapt from her seat and dashed out into the lobby, shoving aside stray monsters and ignoring their annoyed shouts. Outside, Heloise couldn't see a single clues to Jimmy's whereabouts–not the bored employees at the snack counter, not the crowd of monsters gathered over at the arcade, not even the familiar blonde hair sticking out of the group-

"Wait a second." Heloise approached the crowd, her panic fading away into simmering anger. Jimmy ignored her approach, eyes locked on the pinging lights of the game in front of him as a few bystanders cheered him on. Heloise fought the urge to tear out the game's power cord as she pushed her way through the group, walking straight up to the boy. "Jimmy, where did you go!?"

For a moment, the boy didn't notice her as his eyes stayed glued to the flashing screen. Annoyed, Heloise gave a loud snap of the fingers, finally grabbing his attention. "Oh, hey Heloise! How was the movie?" he greeted, still keeping an eye on his game.

Heloise clenched her fists, feeling the words dig under her skin. "How was the movie?" she hissed. "Maybe you'd know if you'd _been there!_"

The bystanders backed out, sensing the rising tension. Jimmy kept to his game, eyes crossed in concentration. "Sorry, Heloise," he muttered, "but I remembered this Slug 'Em game was here. Beezy took my high score on it a couple weeks ago, and no way am I letting him keep it! I didn't think you'd mind."

Heloise's eye twitched. She groaned, gripping her hair tightly and clamping her eyes shut in a poor attempt to keep her cool. Beezy had still managed to screw up her plans when he _wasn't even there._ At this rate, her perfect date was shaping up to be a perfect disaster.

She took a few deep breaths, composing herself. When she reopened her eyes, she found Jimmy staring at her, frowning. "Really, I'm sorry," he said. "I figured we could just see the movie again with Beezy when he's available." Heloise's glare only intensified, getting a nervous chuckle out of the boy. "Unless you want a turn?" he offered, gesturing to the game.

Heloise shook her head slowly. What she really wanted was for things to go her way just once, for this Misery Hearts Day to finally be the day where she won over Jimmy. And in the name of all that was miserable, she _would _succeed. The night was wearing on, and she only had one more place that might help her win over the blonde boy.

Not wasting any time, she grabbed Jimmy by the wrist, dragging him to the exit. "Whoa, whoa!" he protested. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." She pulled him out into the cool night air, away from the glow of the theater. With her path planned out, she set off, Jimmy in tow.

_Bzzzzzzzt!_

Heloise felt needles of pain pass through her, forcing her to let her captive's wrist go. The world spun around her as she saw Jimmy collapse, legs flopping into the air. The shock ended as Jimmy fell flat.

Heloise spotted the collar still on his leg and moaned, wiping a hand down her face. Visions of the scanner left back in the theater washed over her as she reached up to smooth her hair back down. "I knew I'd forgotten something," she muttered.


	4. Ain't No Walk in the Park

**A/N: Dang, being busy all day yesterday threw my schedule off. I should still be able to get the story back on track, though.**

**Not very pleased with how the first half of this chapter came out, honestly. Might give it a second shot later, but hopefully it'll do for now.**

* * *

Getting the anklet off Jimmy was even easier than getting it on in the first place–especially since the boy was knocked out cold. With just a few deft twists of unseen latches, Jimmy was free from his metal constraint. Now, Heloise just had to sit there and wait about five minutes for the boy to come to.

But she still had a problem. She had one destination left in mind, and she couldn't afford any more mistakes. Now, she had to choose whether or not she'd have to constrain him one more time. Frankly, if Jimmy had wanted to escape, he would've attempted it a long time ago. Did she really need to use another trap?

Heloise's eyes drifted to the unconscious boy, watching his chest rise and fall slowly with the occasional pause as a jolt flew through him. The theater incident was still fresh in her mind; just thinking about Jimmy nonchalantly talking about ditching her in the theater got her blood pressure rising.

She sighed, shutting the image out. Yes, restraining him was for the best. And yet, the horrific restaurant experience came to mind. Heloise shuddered, knowing she'd have to avoid that part of town for a couple weeks.

Too little control led to a wandering Jimmy, while too much control led to… well, she really didn't want to remember the restaurant more than she had to. If she had any hope of salvaging this date, she needed to find a balance.

Heloise rubbed her chin, pondering what to do. She had one trap left on her– well, unless she ran home and powered up the old hovercage, but there wasn't any time for that. The trap was simplistic in its design, but it might just suit her needs. Could it work?

It was time to find out. Heloise got up, getting to work with what little time she had left.

* * *

"C'mon, Jimmy, we're almost there!"

Heloise looked off into the distance, spotting their destination. The quiet, grassy area up ahead marked the beginning of the park, one of their usual hang-outs. But at night, the usually dull looking grass seemed to glow with a small shine around the nearby fountain, its water flowing out from underneath a stony statue of Lucius.

She could hear Jimmy following behind her, and she stopped at the edge of the park to wait up for him. The boy approached, still fumbling with the latest trinket Heloise had left him with. "Really, Heloise," he griped, "are these handcuffs necessary?"

"Unfortunately," Heloise muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Look, we're here," Heloise said, looking over by the fountain. "C'mon, let's grab a se-" She frowned. The bench by the fountain she'd been hoping to snag was occupied by a couple of chatting old ladies. Well, they wouldn't be there for long. "Look, Jimmy," Heloise called out to the boy, "a three-headed toad playing chess with a lava worm in a top hat!"

Jimmy looked where she was pointing. After a minute, he glanced back, shrugging. "Yeah, they're always doing tha– hey, weren't there people here a second ago?"

Heloise sat on the bench, patting the spot next to her. Jimmy could've swore he could see a couple people running away, screaming as they fled. "C'mon, take a load off," Heloise said with a smile.

All too willing to oblige, Jimmy joined her, flopping down on the bench. He still felt woozy for some reason; he'd woken up outside the theater missing that cool accessory Heloise had given him, and with these annoyingly tight handcuffs clamped on him instead. It didn't take long to figure out where they'd came from.

But there was no point in complaining– he was having a good time, weird traps or no. He just wished Heloise would enjoy herself, too. She'd been a bit… well, 'off' all night.

At least she seemed to have cheered up a bit now. The girl was looking up at the sky, drumming her fingers along the bench. "Whatcha lookin' at?" Jimmy asked, drawing her attention.

Heloise gave a little shrug, glancing out over the park. "Everything, I guess. We've never really been out here after dark… it's kind of beautiful out here at night, don't you think?"

Jimmy followed her gaze, looking out over the area. "I guess," he mumbled.

"You guess?" Heloise waved an arm out over the park. "C'mon, just look around. The way the moon glints off the grass… the little trickle of the fountain splashing away… it's just so calm, Jimmy. Even a little bit, well… romantic."

"Blech." Jimmy leaned back, stretching his legs out. "Just looks like the park to me."

Heloise huffed, thinking up a new approach before pressing again. She scooted closer, plucking one of the roses from her hair. "Maybe you're just not looking hard enough. Look again," she prompted, gently placing the flower in Jimmy's hand and closing his fingers around it. "What do you see?"

Her hand remained clamped around his, holding the rose in place. Jimmy gave it a quick glance before meeting his friend's eye. "Heloise…"

Heloise's heart skipped a beat. Was she making progress? "Yes?" she responded, tightening her grip.

Jimmy blinked, concern flooding over his face. "Is everything alright? You've been acting so weird all night, and now this shtick with the park… somethin' bugging you?"

Heloise's eye twitched. "What are you talking about?"

"C'mon, don't play dumb, Heloise." Jimmy shifted his hand out of her grasp, holding his shackled wrists up. "Tying me up with all these things… getting so angry back at the theater… heck, even this new look." He pointed at her. "What's up with that?"

Heloise crossed her arms, frowning. "Nothing's wrong!" she said, turning away. She eyed the fountain for a moment silently before finding her voice again. "Is it a crime to want to try something new with my outfit? Get a bit peeved when I'm left alone to watch something I wanted to watch with you? To…" she bit her lip, trying to come up with something else to defend herself with. "To… to…"

Oh, what was the point? All this was getting her nowhere. She was tired of all these half-truths, these faulty traps, these wasted efforts. Her perfect date was a flop, and now that Jimmy wasn't letting anything slip by any longer, there was no point in hiding anything else.

She sighed, brushing a hand through her hair. "Alright, fine. I wanted to spend time with you, Jimmy, and just you. All these traps, all these trips… look, I just wanted to have a fun night with you, without you running off or anything. Especially today."

"Today? You mean Star Swines' premiere?"

"What? No, I mean…" Heloise groaned. "Look, just forget it. Nothing's been going right tonight."

"What?" Jimmy smiled brightly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Tonight's been a blast, Heloise!"

"Huh?"

"Getting some fancy grub and getting to see Lucy, getting to snag the high score back from Beezy… heck, even sitting here relaxing is nice. It's always fun hanging out with you, Heloise."

Heloise's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah! It's a shame Beez isn't here, but hanging out with you is just as fun." Jimmy let her go, resting his hands on his knees. "So turn that frown upside down, 'cause I'm glad we went out tonight, and you should be too."

Heloise felt her face grow hotter as she watched him, looking for any sign that this was some crazy joke. The boy stared back, keeping his trademark goofy grin on his face. Was it true? He liked spending time with her? He… liked her?

Her heart fluttered in her chest as she scooted a bit closer, looking up at him. He didn't move, didn't flinch–was this her chance? Slowly, Heloise let her eyes shut as she leaned up towards him, not daring to take a single breathe in case it shattered the moment. She just kept going and going, and then– contact.

It wasn't quite how she imagined it'd be. No dizzying feeling, no response, no angelic choir in the background. In fact, it was coarse, unresponsive, and lifeless. Something wasn't right.

Heloise leaned back, looking at Jimmy to see what was wrong. Her eyes widened as she saw the kiss-stained hand extended her way, Jimmy hiding behind it. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Heloise!" Jimmy said, wiping his hand off on his jeans. "What're you doing?"

Heloise's mind was reeling. "I… but…" Heloise could only mumbled and point in various directions, desperately trying to gather her thoughts… "I… I thought you liked me."

Jimmy frowned. "Well, of course I like you, Heloise," he assured her. "After all, you're one of my best friends."

_Friends. _The word hit Heloise like a ton of bricks as she sat there, not really listening to Jimmy talk. Not only had her date flopped, but she'd managed to make a complete fool of herself as well. Jimmy didn't like her back– at least, not the way she wanted him to.

Suddenly, the confusion and despair washed away, quickly getting replaced with white-hot fury. "Friends?" she spat, interrupting Jimmy. "_Friends!? _You wait until after you've made fools out of both of us, ditched me, and let me look like a complete moron to tell me we're _just friends!?_"

"Yes, because that's what we are!" Jimmy retorted, crossing his arms. "We're best buds for months, and then you drop this on me in the middle of our fun night out? What do you think this is, a date?"

"_It is a date, you numbskull!_" Heloise roared, pointing straight at Jimmy. "All this effort to get us alone, keep you close, and take you out on the most romantic day of the year and you thought this was all just buddy buddy?"

"That's unfair!" Jimmy said, pointing right back at her. "I didn't ask for you to kidnap me and drag me around just to try and get feelings returned that I didn't even know about. Maybe if you just opened up a little once in awhile, you-"

"_I did!_" Heloise could feel her blood practically sizzling as her mind went blank, words spilling out of her mouth that she just wasn't in control of anymore. "I've been trying to get your attention all these months, but you always let it slip by! And on the rare occasion you aren't being a completely blind buffoon, you're more than willing to run off with Beezy as soon as my back is turned! The signs were all there, and you missed them!"

She was shouting now, feeling months of frustration and annoyance pour out of her. "I've tried and tried and _tried _to get you to see how I feel, and you always brush it off! All those times I've dressed up around you, all those times I've gone along with your stupid plans knowing how detrimental they were, all those times I've tried to get you away from that big red oaf, it's because _I like you_, Jimmy! How many times do I have to say it before I somehow manage to drill the message home? _I like you!"_

She rose up, standing on the bench and looking Jimmy straight in the eye. "But no, despite everything I try, it always ends up blowing up in my face somehow. You even somehow fell for a _robot version of me _while tossing the real deal aside! You fell head over heels for a _bug monster _without even giving a thought about the much less lethal person _right beside you!_ All this, and you didn't even have the _smallest _thought that I might've liked you more than a friend? That's not just being blind, that's _insane!_" Heloise looked away–she couldn't stand to look at him anymore. "You're _insensitive _you're _blind, _you're _oblivious, _you're… _you're… __**you're**__…_"

And that's when it happened. All the fight seemed to drain out of Heloise as she stood there, all emotion drained from her face, her eyes focused on nothing. Not a peep came from the girl as she dropped her arms to her sides, completely unmoving.

Jimmy sat stock still, not even daring to breath. Heloise might've enjoyed giving him a spook now and then, but right now, this completely tranquil, broken state was the only time she'd ever truly scared him to his core. Time passed with the girl staring off into the distance until, slowly, she let out a deep sigh. "I like you, Jimmy. Sometimes, I wonder why."

She shut her eyes and reached into her sleeve, pulling something shiny and metal out of it and throwing it at Jimmy. Jimmy let out a yelp, barely able to catch the projectile. He held it up, looking it over– it was a tiny silver key. He held up one of his cuffs and unlocked it cautiously, feeling the tight constraint fall away. He quickly undid the other one, letting the cuffs fall to the bench as he rubbed his wrists. He was free–but things still weren't right. "Heloise?"

The girl refused to look at him, keeping her head down and her eyes shut, almost as if she was asleep. "Just go," she muttered.

"But…"

Heloise finally looked up at him. She shot him a glare that Jimmy was sure could freeze every lava lake in Miseryville over... permanently. "_Go._"

Jimmy knew better than to disagree. With a leap, he bounded off the bench, leaving the girl behind as he fled. He shot her one last look as he ran– she didn't glance at him once. Soon enough, she was out of sight.


	5. Miserable

Jimmy kicked at a pebble, following after it as it skipped down the sidewalk. With his hands in his pockets, he gave it another kick, letting the little rock lead the way.

He had no idea where he was going. He was just wandering, trying to piece together everything that'd just happened the best he could. After all that drama in the park, especially after everything Heloise had said, he felt like a grade A jerk. All he ever wanted was to bring a smile to peoples' faces, but he'd been completely unaware of how miserable he was making one of his best buds.

Granted, Heloise was being a bit of a jerk as well. How was he supposed to know about her hidden feelings? They were both in the wrong here– him with his insensitivity and her with her expectations and her traps. So where was the right?

Jimmy gave the pebble another kick, watching as the little rock sailed to the street corner. He walked over to give it another kick, only to pause, looking around at his familiar surroundings. Wasn't this the street where they'd gone for dinner?

Indeed it was. The glossy restaurant stood down the street, all of its lights having been turned off. Some of Lucius' minotaur minions were scrambling in and out of the building, carrying furniture with them with them as they left– and one of them seemed to be carrying their sobbing seater away. And speaking of Lucius…

Lucius sat on the curb in front of the restaurant, nursing the rather large bump that'd formed on his forehead. "Lucy?" Jimmy called out, watching the little red monster flinch as his name was called. Lucius turned, glaring at the boy with pure malice as Jimmy walked up to him. "What're you still doing around?" Jimmy asked, missing the anger in the ruler's eyes. "Where'd Jez go?"

Lucius rose up from the curb, fingers curled into claws. "Two-shoes!" he snarled, jabbing a finger in the boy's face. Jimmy held up his hands defensively and backed away as Lucius stalked after him, pointing up at the boy accusingly. "You… you…"

Lucius ground his teeth, before dropping his arm with a grunt. "Oh, forget it," he mumbled, taking a seat back on the curb, head in hands. "As much as I want to hold you responsible- and believe me, I really do -I can't."

"Eh?" Jimmy eyed the moping monster curiously as he went back to massaging his aching head. "But I actually _did _knock you on the noggin, Lucy– accidentally, anyway."

"Believe me, I know," Lucius snapped. "But frankly, after that incident, Jez upped and left. And if it hadn't been you, it would've been something else that made her leave." Lucius sighed, frowning. "Last year, she ran off because I'd worn the wrong color suit to go with her new wardrobe. Can you believe it?"

Jimmy let out a low whistle. "Ouch. Well, if you don't mind me asking, why do you still hang around with her?"

Lucius waved an arm around, gesturing towards the city around them. "We're in Miseryville, kid. Everyone's a monster, either on the inside or the outside… usually both. Jez may not be the most pleasant individual, but you can't say I don't have the prettiest piece of eye candy on my arm." Lucius sighed again, shooting the boy a glare. "Alright, I've said enough, Two-shoes. Would you be so kind as to go pester someone else?"

Lucius waited for the boy to bug off, but the moment never came. The ruler let out a groan as Jimmy scooted closer, taking a seat beside him on the curb. "Ya know, Lucy, things haven't been going my way today, either."

The little red ruler instantly perked up. "Two-shoes? Miserable? Oh, I've got to hear all about this! Come now, don't be shy, and don't miss a single detail."

"Well," Jimmy began, "I guess I'm having some girl issues, too."

Lucius snickered. "What, did you fall for another giant insect?"

"Worse," Jimmy replied. "I just found out one of my best friends likes me… like, ya know, likes me likes me. And she has for awhile."

"A friends of yours?" Lucius repeated. "What, do you mean that catty, deranged inventor of mine?" Lucius clapped his hands together slowly, chuckling. "Well, well, looks like the last horse finally crossed the finish line… though in this case, you're more like a crippled turtle."

"What? You knew?" Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Did anyone else know?"

Lucius shrugged. "It's quite possible."

Jimmy groaned, placing his head in his hands. "I really _am _oblivious. And the worst part is, I have no idea what to do."

"What do you mean, you have no idea what to do?" Lucius said. "You either like her back, or you don't, kid."

"I think it's a bit more complicated than that…"

"Nonsense!" Lucius retorted. "Come now, what do you think about her?"

Jimmy scratched his chin, humming to himself. Obviously, Heloise was fun to be around– she was one of his best friends after all, even if she could be a nag sometimes. She was smart, that's for sure, and he had to admit she was pretty in her own way. But could he see her as more than a friend? He wasn't sure. What if things went horribly wrong?

"I guess she's pretty cool," Jimmy finally replied. "Funny, pretty, not afraid to speak her mind. But what if we got together, what if things didn't work out? I don't want to risk such a great friendship."

Lucius tutted. "My boy, for such an annoyingly positive pest, you sure are being a pessimist. You fail to consider the chances of things going right. And now that you know how she feels, don't you think it'd hurt your friendship more to let the problem fester without thinking it over?"

"…I guess you're right."

"Let me tell you how a Heinous sees it," Lucius went on. "Heloise is an evil, sadistic little girl– and that's coming from _me_. But around you and only you, she reins herself in, becoming much more hospitable. How much so is debatable, but one thing's for sure." Lucius prodded Jimmy's arm. "She really cares for you, Two-shoes."

Jimmy nodded slowly, taking the information in. The way Lucius put things, it truly sounded like it was worth a shot. But could it work out? Well… there really was no way to tell unless he tried. He knew what he had to do.

Jimmy leapt to his feet, grabbing Lucius' hand and shaking it vigorously. "I know what to do, Lucy! Thanks for the help."

"Oh, you're quite wel-" Lucius froze, mouth hung agape as he watched Jimmy scamper off towards the park. He'd _helped _the biggest thorn in his side in existence?

Lucius groaned, cursing this confounded holiday for drawing out his inner romantic. He slapped his forehead in frustration– right where his painful bump was.

"_Yeeeeouch!_"

* * *

What had she done?

Heloise hung her head in her hands, still trying to comprehend how badly she'd screwed up. Months of pent-up frustration or no, that was _not _the right time for her to blow a gasket.

Now, she sat alone in the same spot she'd been in when Jimmy had ran off, listening to the idle tinkling of the fountain's waters while she tried to figure out what happens now. Had she completely managed to destroy her friendship with the boy she cared for? If she was lucky, he might just sweep the whole night under the rug– but even then, she knew their friendship would never be the same again.

She sighed, closing her eyes. Right now, all she could think about was what could've been if she'd just kept her mouth shut and forgotten this stupid holiday had ever existed. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that it took her a few moments to realize someone had sat down beside her.

She scowled, turning to tell off the unfortunate intruder. Her breath caught in her throat as she found herself looking into the eyes of a certain blonde-haired boy. "Hey, Heloise," he greeted with a little wave.

"Jimmy?" Heloise breathed. He'd come back? She turned away, gathering her thoughts. He'd come back, so what? He still thought she was an obsessive, crazy girl. "What do _you_ want?" she spat.

She could hear Jimmy shuffle around uncomfortably. "I just wanted to talk a little," he said.

Heloise rolled her eyes. "I'm listening."

Jimmy stayed silent for a moment. Finally, he spoke again. "Well, first of all, I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. Ya know, for the whole 'being a completely oblivious numbskull' thing. I can only imagine how much of a drag it must've been all these months."

"You have _no _idea."

Jimmy shifted around a bit more. "But, well, you're not exactly blameless either. Never just saying how you felt… getting upset when I had no idea… all of these traps… I'm just saying, you could have gone about this a better way."

Heloise opened her mouth to retort, only to close it again. He had a point, as much as it pained her to admit it. She turned to him with a sigh, looking him in the eye. "I'm sorry, Jimmy."

A smile finally made its way to the boy's face as he grinned at her. "I can forgive you if you can forgive me."

Heloise could feel a smile start pushing its way onto her own face. "It's a deal."

The two of them sat there grinning like loons for a moment before Heloise let her face fall, clearing her throat awkwardly. "So, uh… I guess… we're just friends, then?"

"Well…" Jimmy rubbed the back of his head, averting his gaze. "I took a walk, did some thinking, had a pretty eye-opening chat with a friend…"

"A friend?" Heloise crossed her arms, frowning. "You haven't been talking with Beezy, have you?"

"Nah, someone else. Anyway, I did some thinking and, if you still care for a goofball like me… I think I'd be willing to give going out a shot."

Heloise's heart leapt up to her throat. She pinched herself as discretely as she possibly could, hoping as hard as she could that she wouldn't suddenly wake up in her bed. She felt the pinch alright, and Jimmy was still there with the same hopeful grin on his face. "I… I'd like that."

The two of them sat there, eyes locked and lips curled up in nervous smiles. They looked away from each other, unsure of what to do next. Slowly, Heloise inched closer to Jimmy until she was finally up next to him. She rested her head against him, turning her eyes skyward.

Jimmy followed her gaze, admiring Miseryville's starry night sky along with her. Not long after, Heloise felt Jimmy shift, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

The two of them sat there for a good long while, simply admiring the sky and occasionally commenting to the other about something they saw.

Heloise's smile never left her face the whole time. Everything just felt so right, she couldn't stop if she tried.


	6. Epilogue: Wonderful

"…And that's how I escaped from the pygmy horde and made it back to Miseryville!"

Beezy finished his story with a flourish, smiling with pride. "Never did get any more mayo, though." He looked at his two friends, frowning when he saw they were unimpressed. "What?"

Heloise rolled her eyes. "Do you really expect us to believe that we left you alone for one night and you somehow managed to board a ship to a faraway island, save a tribe from a ravenous clan of pygmies, and then escape from said pygmies by launching yourself back here with a tree, all because you ran out of mayo to put on your pizza and wandered off to get more?"

"She's got a point, Beez," Jimmy agreed. It was the day after Misery Hearts Day, and now the blonde boy sat on his stoop with his two best friends, listening to Beezy tell a ridiculous, albeit interesting, story. The fact that he'd managed to do all of this in just one night didn't help matters.

"But it really happened!" Beezy whined, throwing his hands in the air. "Is it really that hard to believe?"

"Yes!" Heloise replied. "You probably just stayed home all night watching cheesy adventure flicks and eating piz-"

"Ahem."

The three friends turned towards the noise, finding themselves surrounded by a crowd of tiny orange tribal creatures. Their leader stood in front of them all, tapping his foot impatiently. He pointed at Beezy with a miniature spear, snarling. "Get fat one!"

Before the monster could react, the pygmies swarmed, barely managing to heft up the bulky boy with their combined might. With their captive in tow, they ran off down the street. "Guess I'll see you guys later!" Beezy called out to his left-behind friends.

"Beez!" Jimmy called after him, watching his friend dissapear over the horizon. "C'mon, Heloise," he said as he leapt to his feet, "we've got to save him!"

Heloise sat still, admiring her fingernails. "Do we have to? I'm sure he'll be alright."

"Yes!"

"Alright, fine, fine." She didn't get up from her spot just yet, though. "Hey, Jimmy, we still on for this weekend?"

Jimmy nodded. "Of course! But no kidnapping this time, riiiight?"

Heloise grinned mischievously, drumming her fingers together. "No promises."

Jimmy shot her a look. "…Alright, fine," Heloise huffed. "But no Beezy either, right?"

"No need to worry," Jimmy assured her. He knelt down, motioning for Heloise to climb up on his back. "Now c'mon, we can still catch them!"

Taking her cue, Heloise got up and climbed onto his shoulders with a grunt. She wrapped her arms around his forehead, told him she was ready, and they were off.

As the two got going, Heloise clung to Jimmy tighter, holding him close with a happy sigh. She'd gotten her perfect date after all.

* * *

**A/N: Phew, had a few mishaps that got me off-schedule, but it's done. It was fun to write, and I hope y'all enjoyed it as much I did making it.**

**Thanks for checkin' out the story, and I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day!**


End file.
